Amazon Alexa Plus Turns Your Smart Speaker Into a Real AI Assistant

Amazon Alexa Plus Turns Your Smart Speaker Into a Real AI Assistant

Alexa Plus upgrades Amazon’s familiar voice assistant with generative AI, smarter conversations, and context awareness that finally makes Alexa feel helpful again. If you use Alexa daily, this update changes how much you can ask and how little you need to repeat yourself.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

February 7, 2026

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Have you ever asked Alexa a follow-up question and felt like it forgot the entire conversation? 

Or tried to coordinate reminders, shopping, and routines only to hit a wall of rigid commands? 

Here's a Cool Tip:  Try the new Alexa+ AI.

Amazon claims Alexa Plus fixes those long-standing frustrations by rebuilding Alexa around modern AI rather than scripted responses.

Watch Sesame Street for Free: How to Access the New Digital Library

Watch Sesame Street for Free: How to Access the New Digital Library

The sunny days are officially here for streaming. You can now access over 100 full-length episodes of Sesame Street for free on YouTube.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

February 6, 2026

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If you grew up with a television, you likely have a core memory of a giant yellow bird or a cookie-obsessed monster. 

For over 50 years, Sesame Street has been the gold standard of educational media, but finding full episodes without a pricey cable package or specific streaming subscription has often been a scavenger hunt. 

Parents and nostalgic fans frequently find themselves stuck behind paywalls just to see a classic clip.

Here's a Cool Tip:  Watch Sesame Street for Free.

As of January 15, 2026, YouTube has officially become the largest digital home for Sesame Street content. 

Through an expanded partnership between Google and Sesame Workshop, a massive library of full episodes is now available to stream for free. 

This is not just a collection of short clips or songs; we are talking about full-length, historical, and modern episodes available at the click of a button.

Visual Intelligence Turns Your iPhone Camera Into a Real-Time Research Tool

Visual Intelligence Turns Your iPhone Camera Into a Real-Time Research Tool

Your iPhone camera can now recognize what you are looking at and surface useful actions in real time. Visual Intelligence in iOS 26 blends camera input with on-device intelligence so you can copy text, identify objects, translate languages, and look up information without opening a browser.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

February 5, 2026

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Have you ever pointed your phone at something and wished it could simply tell you what it is, translate it, copy it, or explain it? 

Here's a Cool Tip:  Use Visual Intelligence on the iPhone.

Visual Intelligence in iOS 26 treats the camera as an input device for understanding the world.

This is not a new app. 

It is a system capability built into the camera experience that works whenever text, objects, landmarks, plants, animals, or products appear in view.

Quick Machine Recovery in Windows 11: Your Safety Net For Boot Failures

Quick Machine Recovery in Windows 11: Your Safety Net For Boot Failures

Quick Machine Recovery in Windows 11 uses Microsoft’s cloud services to repair certain widespread boot issues with minimal user effort. Learn what it does, how to configure it, and how to be ready before disaster strikes.

Byline: By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

February 4, 2026

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You press the power button, wait for Windows to appear, and instead you get a spinning circle that never ends. 

For many users, that moment means panic, lost work, and a frantic search for recovery media.

Here's a Cool Tip:  Quick Machine Recovery in Windows 11.

Quick Machine Recovery in Windows 11 aims to change that story. 

Instead of leaving you alone in a broken boot loop, Windows can detect certain widespread issues, enter the Windows Recovery Environment, connect to Microsoft’s cloud, and automatically apply a targeted fix if one exists. 

It is not magic, and it will not solve every problem, but when it works, it can turn a potential outage into a short coffee break.

Gemini Navigation Expands to Walking and Cycling in Google Maps

Gemini Navigation Expands to Walking and Cycling in Google Maps

Google Maps just got a major brain transplant for your morning commute and weekend treks. AI-powered navigation is no longer just for drivers.

Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

February 3, 2026

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Have you ever stared at a blue dot on your phone while spinning in circles trying to figure out which way is North? 

Even with augmented reality, urban canyons, and winding bike paths can be disorienting. 

Navigation has historically focused on the four-wheeled experience, leaving those on foot or two wheels to squint at tiny lines and hope for the best.

Here's a Cool Tip:  Use Google Gemini for walking and cycling.

Google is bridging that gap by integrating Gemini into Google Maps specifically for walking and cycling. 

This update transforms the map from a static document into a conversational partner. 

It understands the context of your surroundings and helps you find specific landmarks or points of interest using natural language while you are on the move.

Turn Word Into Your AI Writing Partner With Agent Mode

Turn Word Into Your AI Writing Partner With Agent Mode

Agent Mode in Word lets you describe your goal and have Copilot do targeted edits, rewrites, and formatting inside your document. Once you learn where to find it and how to steer it, Word starts to feel less like a blank page and more like a collaborative editor.

Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

February 2, 2026

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How many times have you stared at a messy draft and thought, "I wish someone could just fix this for me"? 

Here's a Cool Tip:  Use Agent Mode in Microsoft Word.

Agent Mode in Word is Microsoft’s answer to that feeling: a way to talk to Copilot as if it were a colleague sitting beside you, editing the document in real time.

Instead of copying text into a chat window and pasting results back, you stay in the document while Copilot restructures sections, tightens language, and applies Word styles for you. 

For busy professionals, that shift from "AI on the side" to "AI inside" is a big deal.

NotebookLM Video Overviews Now Available on Mobile

NotebookLM Video Overviews Now Available on Mobile

Transform dense documents into engaging AI-generated video presentations directly from your iPhone or Android device.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

February 1, 2026

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Have you ever stared at a thirty page research paper or a complex technical manual and wished it could just explain itself to you while you walk the dog? 

Most professionals and students spend hours scanning text for the "big picture" before they can even begin to apply the information. 

Google is changing that equation. 

Here's a Cool Tip:  Create Video Overviews on Mobile.

With the latest update to NotebookLM, your mobile device now functions as a portable production studio that turns static files into dynamic video overviews. 

This move signals a shift from simply reading data to experiencing it through multi-modal AI.

Yahoo Scout: The AI Answer Engine That Thinks Before It Speaks

Yahoo Scout: The AI Answer Engine That Thinks Before It Speaks

Yahoo Scout transforms how you find information by moving beyond lists of links to provide direct, conversational answers powered by advanced AI.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

January 31, 2026

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How many times have you clicked through five different websites just to find one specific answer about a travel itinerary or a technical specification? 

The traditional search engine model often feels like a research project rather than a quick query. Yahoo is betting that you are ready for a change. 

Here's a Cool Tip:  Search with Yahoo Scout.

With the launch of Yahoo Scout, the company is pivoting from a search engine that points to answers to an "answer engine" that synthesizes information for you in real time. 

It is a bold move designed to reclaim relevance in a world where users expect immediate, conversational results without the digital clutter.

Fun with the Toymaker: Reviving the Joy of Paper Craft in a Digital Age

Fun with the Toymaker: Reviving the Joy of Paper Craft in a Digital Age

Rediscover the tactile magic of paper engineering with high-quality, free printable toys that bridge the gap between screen time and hands-on creativity.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

January 30, 2026

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When was the last time you built something with your hands that didn't involve a touchscreen or a keyboard? 

In our hyper-connected world, the simple satisfaction of folding paper into a three-dimensional object is becoming a lost art. 

Here's a Cool Tip:  Make Paper Toys with the Toymaker.

Most of us stare at pixels for eight hours a day, yet research consistently shows that tactile hobbies can significantly reduce stress and improve spatial reasoning. 

What if your printer could act as a portal to a Victorian-style workshop? 

Marilyn Scott-Waters, the creator of The Toymaker, offers a whimsical solution that turns a standard piece of office paper into a moving, breathing piece of art.

How to Select and Copy Part of a Text Message in iOS 26

How to Select and Copy Part of a Text Message in iOS 26

Trimming down a long text to just the essential lines used to require workarounds on iPhone. With iOS 26, Apple finally added a way to select and copy only the words you need.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

January 29, 2026

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If you’ve ever wanted to grab just a phone number, address line, or specific snippet from a message without copying the entire bubble, you know how frustrating it has been. 

Here's a Cool Tip:  Copy a Part of a Text Message in iOS 26.

Prior versions of iOS forced you into awkward edits or managing a pasteboard cleanup after pasting everything you didn’t want. iOS 26 changes that by letting you highlight and extract the exact text you need straight from the Messages app.